Tag: teen

Joshua’s Columbia Academy Senior Portraits

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Columbia Academy Senior Portraits

I’m so pleased with how this Columbia Academy Senior Portrait Session turned out, despite questionable weather earlier in the day. We almost had to postpone the photo session due to bad weather. Thankfully the rain ended well before our scheduled time.

But the weather led Joshua’s mom to ask me how the cloudy weather might affect the pictures. I thought I’d share my answer here for others who had wondered the same. I actually really enjoy photo sessions on overcast days. The clouds provide a diffused light that is very nice for portraits. It actually makes it a little easier. Normally during the beginning of a session when the sun is still high in the sky, I have to look for shaded areas to take photos to avoid the harsh light. On cloudy days, that’s not an issue.

The one downfall to shooting on an overcast day is that there is not much variety in lighting. There is no hazy backlight for example. But we can still add variety in other ways. In Joshua’ soccer photo below, I used my flash to light his face while still capturing the dramatic sky in the background. Then, as the sun went down, we used the headlamps on his car for some interesting lighting.

I also want to mention that we had some discussion of where to have this session, and I’m so glad we decided to do the photos at Columbia Academy. First of all, the campus is beautiful. Also, I love having a location that means something to the people being photographed. I’ve been organizing some old photos of my own, and find myself looking at the environment in the photos as much as the people. Often little things in the background that we didn’t even notice at the time, evoke memories when viewed years later.

Congrats to Joshua and all of the class of 2021! I know they have so many exciting adventures ahead of them. 🎓

I would love it if you could follow me on Instagram. That’s a great place to keep up to date on future openings. Also, you can book a session directly from my online booking calendar, or contact me if you have questions.

Beautiful Light & Family at Henry Horton State Park Photo Session

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Henry Horton State Park Family Portrait Session, Crystal Freemon Photography

When it comes to choosing locations for family photo sessions, the most important element to me is finding beautiful light. I arrived early Sunday at Henry Horton Park to scope out the light and decide where to shoot, as I always do before a portrait session. I was so pleased to find a lovely spot with the most gorgeous lighting. There is nothing elaborate or fancy about the location…it was just a wooded area with field of tall grass. But when the sun comes through in just the right spot, the photos can be absolutely magical.

January is one of the moms who encouraged me early in my photography journey. I took photos of these girls when they were itty bitty. Photos I took during that time always make me wish I could have a do-over because I was so early in my photography journey and I made so many mistakes. But also I am grateful to have been able to preserve those memories, no matter how imperfect. I’m so glad I had the chance to photograph them again at Henry Horton, because they are just as photogenic as they were years ago, and I feel like I was able to give her better quality images.

Are you following me on Instagram? That’s a great place to keep up to date on future openings. I have a couple spots left for my Holiday Family Mini Sessions. Or are you looking for a senior photographer? Either way, you can book a session directly from my online booking calendar, or contact me if you have questions.

COVID Killed the County Fair – Modifying traditions for 2020

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Finding new traditions during the coronavirus pandemic - Crystal Freemon Photogrpahy

We ALWAYS go to the Williamson County Fair on my birthday (or at least within a day or two). I love taking photos of all the beautiful lights and the atmosphere. It’s been a special tradition since Megan was a baby. Last year I still made them go through the little farming exhibit for photos.

As you can imagine, there is no county fair this year. I miss it but also decided that the absolute BEST thing about our trips to the fair is that no one complains. They let me take all the photos I want because it’s my birthday.

I often say that my toughest family portrait session all year is when I take family photos of my own family.

It’s probably best that they canceled the fair because you know, we are in a Pandemic. But also, what if they brought back that weird double Ferris wheel? 2020 does not need that Ferris Wheel.

I think the best thing we can do to get through all of this crazy year is to modify traditions and make the best of what we can. For example, my family has chosen not to eat inside restaurants. But last weekend, my husband and I went on a date where we picked up food from Costa Vida and took it to a picnic shelter at Evans park to have a quiet meal together. Honestly, it was better than eating in a crowded restaurant.

So even though the fair was canceled, I didn’t let that opportunity pass me by to take advantage of my birthday to get family photos I wanted. They cooperated better than they usually do and I’m pleased with the results.

What kind of traditions have you altered for 2020?

Now that I’ve managed to get some family photos of my own family, I’m ready to book Fall family portrait sessions for everyone else!

You can book a session directly from my online booking calendar or contact me if you have any questions. Don’t wait to book because I can only fit in so many portrait sessions in the Fall. I always hate turning people away.

Finding new traditions during the coronavirus pandemic - Crystal Freemon Photogrpahy

Here are Some Pretty Pictures.

Posted in Chapmans Retreat Walking Trail, Family, Little Kids, Portrait Sessions, Seniors & TeensTagged , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Y’all, I’m editing my booty off, and I’m running out of words to put in my blog previews of my family photo sessions.

It’s the height of peak season. We were gone all weekend to my beautiful nieces birthday party in Ohio. But someone I still managed to shoot 5 sessions in the past week, with one more tomorrow, and another three on Sunday (please pray it doesn’t rain on me.)

I’m keeping up, but if you need to find me, I’m probably at my computer. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know it sounds cheesy, but I really love being a part of shooting these moments for families, especially when I get to see the same ones year after year.

For example, It makes me smile to think about how much little Jace has grown since I first started photographing his family three or so years ago. I love meeting and photographing new families too, but I especially look forward to seeing repeat clients each year. ❤️

If you are a procrastinator, I do have two November spots open…once just recently opened up because a family needed to move their session to December…it’s a magic hour session too! You can book your portrait session online from my scheduling calendar or contact me if you have questions!

Senior Portraits At Henry Horton State Park

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Drew is the nephew of one of my oldest and dearest friends from college, Mandy. I remember him as an energetic two-year-old at her wedding. I have only seen him a few times over the years, but I have gotten to hear fantastic stories from his doting aunt.

Drew is the third of four siblings, and Mandy has gifted each of them a Senior Portrait Session with me during their senior year. His oldest sister, Jesse, was actually the very first senior session that I photographed. Then, two years later, I had the joy of photographing his sister Caroline. Now, two years after that, it was Drew’s turn in front of the camera, and he did a fabulous job.

Portrait sessions make a great gift for lots of different occasions. You can even purchase a gift certificate to give to recipients and then they can book their own date at their convenience. Let me know if you have any questions.

If you are wanting Fall Portraits sessions for your family or senior, please book today. There are no October spots left but there are a couple of November spots still available. Book yours today.

5 Reasons to get photos of your younger teen or tween

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Why it's important to photograph Tweens & younger teens

A few years ago, my friend Stephanie from college hired me to do a portrait session for her oldest daughter Logan as she was about to start middle school. She wanted the session to focus on Logan as she made the transition from elementary to middle school, and I thought it was a great idea. We do milestones sessions all the time for babies, and then again when kids are seniors in high school, but those middle years often get left out. We need to document the lives of our tweens and younger teens too. I’d love to see more clients interested in photographing tweens

This year, Stephanie contacted me again, and this time it was a big year for both of her daughters. Logan is about to start high school, and her little sister Molly is about to start middle school. So she wanted a session for both of them to document this transitional time period in their lives, and I was super excited to get to hang out with both of them.  They are really fantastic young women and we had the best time. They are both gorgeous and were so easy to photograph. 

I couldn’t get over what fantastic weather we had for this late July session. I was a bit worried it would be insanely hot, like it typically is this time of year, but we got so lucky with a beautiful mild evening.  Preservation park has definitely become one of my favorite places to photograph sessions.  My only complaint is that it’s quite a bit of walking (and up a giant hill) to get to the spots I really like to shoot at.  

Since we do’t often think of doing a special photo session for younger teens or tweens, so I wanted to outline a couple reasons why you might want to consider one.

Reasons for photographing tweens & Teens

  1. They are changing so fast.  We typically book lots of photo sessions for our babies and toddlers because “they are changing so fast” and we want to document all those seasons and changes.  Well, that’s happening now too.  It seems like you look a way for a moment, and when you look back, your baby is gone and somehow a young woman is standing in her place. #dontblink
  2. Even if they don’t admit it, they enjoy the extra attention. I don’t actually know this for sure and it’s probably not true for every kid, but I think most of them welcome the opportunity to be made a fuss over just a little bit.  Especially when they figure out that my sessions are pretty laid back and casual and we are just gonna hang out and chat. 
  3. They are really becoming amazing, unique human beings and a session is a chance to get to know them better. We joke a lot about how tough it is to parent teens, and believe me, it is.  But also, it’s so freaking cool to be able to have these real, meaningful conversations with these amazing people that you MADE.  A photo session is an opportunity to stand back, take a deep breath, and appreciate your beautiful creation. 
  4. Maybe the photos will help them to see what amazing humans they are, if they don’t already know it. As tough as it is to parent a teen, it’s probably even tougher to be one.  Maybe the photos will help them see how beautifully made they are, if they don’t know it already. 
  5. Before you know it, it will be time for that Senior Portrait session.  As my friend Michelle always says, “the days are long but the years are short.” Before you know it, this season will be over, and you’ll wish you had documented it. 

So there you have it…5 reasons to either pick up the camera and get photos of your “big kids”, or hire a professional for either a family portrait session or a session of just your older kids. Did I miss any? 

Yes, Bring the Dogs

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I welcome clients including their pets in family portrait sessions. After all, they are a part of the family too.

Robin & Miles wanted to include their dogs Harley & Cassie in their portrait session, and the Park at Harlinsdale Farms was the perfect spot for including pets.  Robin is originally from Kentucky and wanted a location with a rustic feel, so Harlinsdale was perfect and a welcome spot to bring dogs. 

One reason I love to include dogs in a session, is I think it helps the clients to feel more relaxed.  It’s easier to capture candid moments when there are sweet doggies to play with during the session. Some clients worry that the dogs will be a distraction. I haven’t really found this to be an issue.  Assuming the dogs are friendly, I am generally able to include photos both with and without the dogs. For this session, my 10-year-old “assistant” actually joined me at the shoot was able to help with the dogs when they were not being included in photos.  If you would like to include your family dogs in a session, just let me know ahead of time and we can choose an appropriate place, and I can even bring my young assistant if you think that will be helpful.

Harley and Cassie were the sweetest dogs and I really enjoyed getting to know them and their lovely owners on this gorgeous day.

The Perfect Day for a January Photo Session

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Once upon a time, Spring Hill was a tiny little town, and about the only restaurants were J.J.s Barbecue, the Poplar House and the Old School Restaurant.  At that time, I worked as a Quality Engineer at GM, and we had sort of a tradition in my work group. 

It would happen on those rare beautiful days, when it wasn’t too hot, or too cold, when Spring was just on the horizon.  You know the kind of day…where it is just too beautiful to stay stuck inside a dark, giant auto plant. It’s the kind of day where teachers choose to take extra recess time, and even adults get cabin fever and just have to go outside.

On those rare days, someone (not always the same person), would come one by one to each of our cubicles, and say simple “Huffs today.”  Then, at lunch time, me and the boys would pile into a vehicle or two, depending on how many of us there were, and head out to Huff’s Grocery, in Burwood.  Usually, my friend John would drive, and I would instantly regret allowing him to because he drove like a teenage boy with something to prove.  But with the windows rolled down and the wind in our faces, it was hard to care too much about being responsible. 

It was too far of a drive to go regularly for a working lunch, which is why it was reserved for those special days. Driving on the back roads and taking the long way was part of the fun. (Saturn Parkway didn’t go that direction back then anyway.) To be clear, Huff’s isn’t really a restaurant at all, but a little gas station with a few groceries, in the middle of nowhere. (At least it use to be in the middle of nowhere, but I haven’t been there for years. With the parkway it could now be a booming exit.)  It reminds me of the salvage store that was near my rural home growing up…where you can get the necessities you need when it’s too far to drive to Kroger. 

But they made the BEST sandwiches.  They had a little paper menu where you’d choose white or wheat bread, then choose your meat, cheese and condiments.  Nothing fancy at all, but it was SOOOOOO good.  

Then we’d take our sandwiches, with a bag of chips and a can of soda and go sit out on the front steps of the store.  And we’d sit and just enjoy the day, and our sandwiches, with the sun on our faces, and take our own sweet time getting back to work.  

So you are probably wondering what any of that has to do with photography.  Well, when this family booked their January family session, they were concerned about whether it would be too cold.  Not a problem because they got one of the most beautiful days of the entire year.

And as I got to the location early before our shoot, I kept thinking about how it was a Huff’s day.  And ever since, and especially as I edit the photos of this beautiful family, I keep craving a Huff’s sandwich, which I have not had in years.  But the beautiful weather only lasted a couple days, and now it’s all winter again.  Boo. But maybe soon, it will happen again and I can go to Huff’s. Who wants to go with me?

Find your Tribe, Love them Hard

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These two families are visiting together for the holidays…one having just recently moved to Nashville from California, and the other coming in from California to spend a week with them in their new home in Nashville.  Originally, we had planned to shoot the two family portrait sessions separately, one at a time.  But some time constraints prevented them from having enough time to do two full separate sessions before it got dark, so we decided to combine them into one big extended family session. 

I have to say that I am really glad it worked out that way because these families needed photos together. They wanted a location that was representative of the area and that they wouldn’t be able to see in California.  I’m really glad we chose the Park at Harlinsdale Farms. What better way to represent Nashville than with a beautiful old horse farm? Plus there is lots of variety there and it looks beautiful in any season.

It was the kind of session that was just so easy to shoot and everything came together perfectly. The light and the sunset was amazing, but most of all was just the connection between all of these friends.  I left the session feeling really glad to have been a part of it, and hoping that they have an amazing week in Nashville making memories together. 

Downtown Franklin Senior Portrait Session

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I’m so glad we rescheduled this senior portrait session from last weekend when it was cold and rainy.  This weekend was absolutely perfect for a December photo session.  Like they say about Tennessee weather…if you don’t like it, just wait 5 minutes.  In this case we waited a week, but still….SOOOOO much better. 

I worked with Eaman’s parents in my former life as an Engineer with General Motors, so while I haven’t really ever met him, I’ve sort of watched him grow up through facebook pictures and stories from his dad. So it was really fun getting to know him in real life. Before the session, his mom Regina had written to me that he was a “younger, quieter version of Pete.”  Well she forgot taller, but other than that, was dead on. 😂  It’s a little crazy how much this kid looks like his dad. I knew that already from photos, but the expressions he gave me really made me feel like I was back in a conference room crunching numbers with Pete.

These senior sessions always make me feel a little sappy, but it’s especially so when I know their parents. I can’t help but think how quickly they’ve grown up and how my girls will be there before I know it. But I’m also excited to see what the future holds for them.   ❤️